Glint
by Sykira
Summary: Drabble response to prompt word PAIN. Ten/Donna implied. Donna is in trouble and the Doctor shows up. The sequel is ch. 2
1. Chapter 1

_**Warnings:** Hurt!Donna, angst, mentions blood, mentions tied up Donna. It's dark._

_**A/N:** Response to jaded_jamie's prompt word PAIN. Thanks to beautiful beta Prof_Yaffle._

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Neon light glinted on the blue steel chains that held her arms back, and shone on the tears that slid slowly down her face.

Blue eyes, bright with pain, watched the Time Lord as he knelt down beside her. She flinched as he reached for her, his fingertips tracing the bruises on her face, his eyes dark as they took in the blood drying on her cheek. His movements were slow, measured.

"Donna, close your eyes."

His voice was barely a whisper. She did as she was told. He gave no sign of noticing the shudder that ran through her body as his lips touched hers. The kiss was over almost before it began but when she opened her eyes he was staring at her. Then he blinked and drew himself up to his full height, towering over her. Donna's breath hitched in her throat when the Doctor reached out to take hold of the other end of the chains that bound her. Wrapping them possessively around his forearm, he turned to face the leering crowd. He addressed her captors, his expression thunderous,

"I have done all you asked. I claim this woman as my own, now _let her go."_

_See Chapter Two for sequel_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Warnings:** Hurt!Donna, angst, mentions blood, mentions tied up Donna. It's dark._

_**A/N:** Response to lj user="**jaded_jamie**" prompt word PAIN. Thanks to beautiful beta lj user=**"prof_yaffle**"._

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As soon as he had completed the ritual the spotlights moved on to other cells. The guards reached for Donna to remove her chains but the Doctor placed his body between her and the men, uttering a low warning growl. The guards balked from him, then recovered themselves and handed over the keys with attempted nonchalance. The Doctor waited until the men had retreated before turning back to his companion. She was staring at the ground once more, her hair mostly hiding her face. He knelt down again, and tenderly removed the restraints, being careful not to make any sudden movements. She was uncharacteristically quiet as he worked, and he tried not to dwell on what they could have done to make his formerly fiery companion so subdued. When she was free from the chains he shrugged off his jacket and placed it tenderly around her shoulders. She shivered suddenly. The Doctor reached out, slowly, brushing his hands against hers then encircling her forearms with a grip he hoped was firm enough to reassure her of his presence, without hurting her further.

"Let's go home, Donna."

She raised her head slowly until she met his eyes. The Doctor fought to tamp down the shock he felt at seeing her expression. It was as if she hardly dared hope that he was real and that her ordeal was over. He lifted a hand to delicately brush away tangled locks of hair from her eyes.

"It's over. Let's get out of here, okay?"

She still didn't speak, but inclined her head in acquiescence. Still moving slowly so as not to startle her, the Doctor moved closer to wrap his arms around her. He cautiously helped her to her feet and held her securely to make sure she could stand up. She trembled in his embrace and he crooned softly in her ear, rubbing gentle circles on her back until she seemed steadier on her feet.

"Do you think you can walk?" She nodded against his shoulder and together they shuffled out of the cell. When they passed the leering guards he could feel the tension ripple through her frame. The Doctor cupped her cheek and turned her face from the men, murmuring comfortingly in her ear.

"Donna. Don't look at them, it's over now. Just look at me."

She did as he asked and they made it out of the jail without incident. Once outside, her demeanor changed perceptibly, some of the fear and tension leaving her body. She could walk with less of his support now but still stumbled a little. The Doctor kept an arm firmly around her waist. Her continued silence was frightening him, but he kept his mind focused on getting them to safety.

They crossed the short distance from the jail to the back alleyway where he had left the TARDIS. Once inside he was reluctant to let her go, but even as they walked he could feel her flinching away from him. She slipped out from his arm as they crossed through the console room, and walked shakily to the hallway where her room was located.

"Donna?" She ignored him and kept walking, holding her body stiffly as if every step caused her pain. "Donna, come through to the medical bay, I just want to…"

She shook her head no as she continued on, not looking around.

"But, Donna…" he followed her, and as she reached the doorway of her bedroom she turned to him, holding out his jacket with a trembling hand. He took it from her, feeling as helpless as she looked.

"I'm going to have a shower." Her voice was tentative, and a little raw. She refused to meet his eyes as he looked down at her. Her face was smudged with tears and dirt.

"Do you want me to help, you aren't very steady on your feet, I could…"

"No," she replied flatly, then she looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him for understanding.

"Okay," he breathed.

She slipped inside her room, closing the door behind her. Standing in the hallway, he stared at the grain in the wood panelling of the door for what seemed like hours. In fact it was only 112 seconds before he heard the bathroom door close and the sound of the shower, muted, but audible. The Doctor sighed and ran his hand through his hair before spinning on his heel and heading back to the console room.

His first order of business was to move the TARDIS into a holding pattern, far away from this planet. He would be coming back to deal with the people who had hurt his Donna, and he'd make sure they never hurt anyone again. But for now he manoeuvered his ship into the vortex, then headed to the medical bay. Time enough later to hate himself for not being able to protect her, for not seeing it coming, for bringing her to such a godforsaken hellhole in the first place.

He closed his eyes, letting the darkness wash over him as he replayed the earlier events in his mind.

When he'd finally found her, he didn't know what he was expecting, but he was shocked when they told him the silent unmoving shape curled up in the corner of the dark cell was his irrepressible Donna.

He'd had to fight with her captors just to get to see her, and had been warned not to touch her; but the bars where the only thing holding him back, now that he was this close.

He called to her softly, and he thought the shadows in the cell moved a little in response, and he heard a faint whimper, but that was all.

"I thought the merchandise was not to be damaged?" he snapped over his shoulder at the guard.

"This one was _playful_," the guard replied, a leer on his ugly face. "Had to tame her, hard enough sell, she's only got one tongue. Mind you, some like a bit of attitude, and red heads always fetch the best price."

"You could have a lot of fun, breaking that one," chipped in the second guard, "she makes the most _interesting_ noises."

The Doctor had heard enough, and he turned away from the creatures in disgust, back to look at Donna. He crouched next to the cell door, desperate to gather her up into his arms and run with her, never to stop running until they reached the safety of the TARDIS.

"Look at me," He put a harsh edge in his voice to keep up the pretence to her kidnappers, but he desperately wished she would react in some way, give some sign that she was alright after all.

But the woman in the cell didn't even seem to resister his presence. He spoke again in undertone, more to reassure himself than anything. "I am going to get you out of here."

"I'll take her," the Doctor said emotionlessly as he stood and turned back to the guards that lounged in the doorway of the cell. "I will pay the advertised price. No need for ceremony, I have need for her straight away."

"Sorry lovely, but your _need_ is going to have to wait," the first guard unlocked Donna's cell and leered at the Doctor.

"I'm in a rush," the Doctor raised his voice, playing the part of the wealthy buyer, "just get those chains off. You have wasted enough of my time, and anyway, I would prefer to take her unwrapped." The Doctor took a step through the cell door, watching with mounting tension as the guard approached Donna's huddled form.

"Protocol must be followed. Our supreme ruler demands to see the ritual for every sale." The second guard replied, glaring suspiciously at him.

"They'll be plenty of time to enjoy her once the sacrament is completed. Things will get going soon enough, I can put your transaction up first…if the price is right." The first guard continued, jerking on the chains that bound Donna.

"You will stop doing that now or you will regret it."

The guard dropped the chains in surprise at the deadly vehemence in the Doctor's tone.

The Time Lord handed over the payment to the second guard, who muttered something about needing a bonus to hurry things along. Wordlessly he handed over more of the currency it had taken him all day to gather together. The Doctor had seen enough of these backstreet deals to know the price always went up once they found out you were willing to pay at all. He looked again at the figure curled in the corner of the damp, dirty cell. "Do whatever you need to do to get this to happen. I'm not leaving her." He took two more steps into the cell and the guard put a hand up.

"That's far enough. She ain't yours 'til the ritual is done. Besides, she bit the last customer that got too close!"

The Doctor gave him a black look but took no further steps toward Donna. Then he sat down resolutely in the middle of the cell. The guards shrugged and wandered back to their card game in the corridor, glancing at him occasionally.

When the ruler eventually showed up he trailed an extensive entourage of onlookers behind him. The guards swung some levers and suddenly the dank jail was transformed into a garish stage, flooded with neon lighting that revealed several more cells arranged to be viewed by the audience and potential buyers. The chattering of the crowd filled the Doctor's ears, and he blinked under the bright lights. He looked immediately over to Donna and got to his feet, closing the distance between them.

A baited hush fell over the crowd as he approached the woman on the ground. Somewhere from the crowd an authoritarian voice began intoning instructions. The Doctor tuned it out. He was already briefed on what they would expect from him. He was glad they had accepted that a human mating ritual involved merely a simple caress and a kiss.

His eyes locked with hers as he lowered himself to her level. The Doctor winced as he saw the bruises on her face, the blood trickling down from a cut just above her left eye. Her clothes were in tatters. The crowd had fallen still; he could feel their eyes on Donna and himself. He wished he could communicate with her with his eyes because he couldn't risk words right now.

_I'm not going to hurt you, Donna._

The Doctor reached for her and she shrank back from his hand. Delighted rumbles rippled through the crowd. He stroked across her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. He knew what he had to do next, but he couldn't explain it to her, and as much as he knew he should get it over with quickly, to be merciful to the terrified woman in front of him, he didn't think he could kiss her when she was looking at him with so much fear.

"Donna, close your eyes."

_I'm not going to hurt you. Please don't be scared. I'm so sorry. This is the only way._

Much to the Doctor's relief, Donna obeyed him. Freed from seeing the devastation in her eyes, he went to a dark place in his mind, the darkness cultivated in the fires of burning civilizations. It had allowed him to slaughter the children of the Racnoss, to sent the entire race of the Carrionites into the void, to end the Dalek empire. It was from here the Time Lord found the strength to lean forward and unflinchingly brush his lips against those of his vulnerable companion.

The Doctor shuddered in remembrance. He looked around the med bay and then down at the bottle of pills he held in his hand. _Tea_ he reminded himself _you were getting tea. Tea is soothing._ He wandered through the corridors until he reached the kitchen, where he mindlessly assembled the tea, throwing teabags into mugs, adding hot water, and then milk and honey. _Donna likes honey_. The ritual of making tea calmed him down, breaking the spell of the memories, making the hellish day seem less real.

Standing in the shower, Donna scrubbed at her skin as hard as her weakened muscles would allow. Then she simply allowed the water to cascade across her body. The temperature was turned up as hot as she could stand it. She knew her skin would turn crimson but she needed to clean the imprint of the memories off her body. When she closed her eyes it all came flooding back, she could feel the cold dank ground under her, and despite the heat of the shower, Donna shivered.

It took all her last reserves of energy to get out of the shower and dry herself off. She wrapped herself in her softest bathrobe and limped to her bedside, lifting her hairbrush with a shaking hand. A wave of dizziness washed over her. Donna dropped her hand and leaned back until she was perched on the side of her bed, wondering how she could even find the strength to crawl under the covers.

There was a tentative knock on her door.

"Donna?" The Doctor called softly. She took a deep breath.

"Come in," she called out and the Doctor appeared, juggling mugs of tea as he manipulated the door handle. She could feel his eyes on her and she lifted the brush to her hair again, trying to look like she was doing something other than just fighting to stay conscious.

"How are you feeling?"

Her hand stilled, then she dropped her brush on her bedside table. She opened her mouth to answer him but made no sound. The Doctor set the mugs down on her bedside table and sat down gingerly on the bed beside her, waiting.

"I think I…My wrist must have got hurt, I can't even—" she swallowed and her eyes filled with tears of frustration. She hated feeling helpless. She gestured bleakly at her nightstand. The Doctor followed her gaze to her hairbrush, suddenly understanding. He slowly leaned over and picked it up. With his other hand he offered her a tissue, and without further comment began to lovingly comb her hair for her, watching her thoughtfully as if checking to see if her face registered any objection, or pain.

Donna closed her eyes, relaxing into his touch. He smoothed out her tangled hair with such care that each stroke felt like a caress. He was capable of such tenderness. She felt like a child, but no longer in a fearfully helpless way. Instead she felt safe at home, knowing she could trust this man to take care of her.

She didn't know how long they stayed that way, not a word passing between them. He finished brushing her hair and stood up, his movements smooth and gradual. He turned down the covers and helped her into bed. She wanted to find the words to thank him, for saving her, for taking care of her, for how respectful he was being with her. But she didn't trust herself to speak. Instead she accepted the mug of tea from him, and sipped the hot liquid wordlessly, managing a small grateful smile.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, drinking tea in the companionable quiet.

The Doctor suddenly remembered the pills in his pocket and reached for them.

"Oh," he shook two of them into his palm and passed them to her. "You should take these." She regarded them with suspicion and he smiled inwardly, feeling a glimmer of hope. Just for a second she looked like his Donna again.

"What are they?" She asked, and his inner smile disappeared at her timid tone. Normally she argued with him every step of the way, always refusing what she deemed as 'alien medicine'.

"They're aspirin Donna, like really good aspirin." He shot her a lopsided smile, "just take them."

She grimaced as she swallowed the pills with a mouthful of tea, and when she spoke, her voice seemed even more hesitant.

"Doctor?"

She looked down at her tea. He knew better than to rush her. She spoke again without meeting his eyes.

"I want to ask you something."

He nodded. When she didn't speak for a moment he softly touched his fingertips to her hand as it lay on the bed beside him.

"When you…" she paused, and swallowed. "Why did you tell me to close my eyes?"

_Because I couldn't bear to see your fear and pain at my kissing you when I have been wondering what our first kiss would be like since our first night on the TARDIS._

"I thought it would be easier for you, make it easier to pretend it wasn't happening."

She looked up at him through her lashes. The Doctor held her gaze and delicately threaded his fingers through hers.

"Donna, you need to understand that was part of the claiming ritual, and not an optional part. I had no choice."

"Yeah, I got that." Her voice was small as she looked down at their hands on the bedspread. He followed her gaze. "Donna? Was it—"

"It's no big deal." She shrugged. "I mean, compared to everything else…" She hunched her shoulders again, moving further back into the pillows as if hopeful they would swallow her up. "I'm glad it was you."

He gave her hand the faintest possible squeeze in response.

"Doctor? What about…what should we do about the others?"

He knew immediately what she meant. How like her, no matter how hurt she was, she was always worried about others who were hurting too.

"I have taken care of it, I've alerted the authorities, then while you were in the shower I skipped ahead a little in time, and checked back in to make sure those responsible have been punished, and their captives are safe now."

"You did all that? Already?"

"We can talk about it tomorrow if you want, but I don't want you to worry about it Donna."

Her eyes slid away from his. The Doctor didn't think he had ever seen her look so tired. He was glad she seemed to accept his reassurances. The last thing he wanted her to worry about was ever having to go back to that planet. So he didn't mention that he would be making a return visit sometime when she was safely visiting her Granddad on Earth. A _personal_ visit, to those animals that had hurt his Donna.

"You should try to get some sleep, okay?"

She nodded, and he carefully helped her rearrange the pillows until she was lying down.

"Do you… Will you be alright, do you want me to stay with you?" he was tentative as he asked, hesitant to force his company onto her, but equally reluctant to leave her alone and knowing that she would never admit to wanting or needing him there.

She took a huge, shaky breath and burrowed deeper under the heavy comfort of the blankets. "I'm fine." She nodded unconvincingly, her voice a little too high pitched and he wondered who she was trying to convince. "You're right, I think I just need to get some sleep."

The Doctor double-checked that she was comfortable and reluctantly turned to leave. He crossed towards the door until he was halted by her voice. "Doctor?" He stopped and turned back to her, she looked so vulnerable and frightened, and it tore at his hearts. "Can you leave the light on?"

"Of course." He just stood there, irresolute in the doorway. She watched him for a moment then closed her eyes. The Doctor turned on his heel, walked four steps into the hallway, then he stopped again. He couldn't do it, he couldn't leave her alone, even one room away she was too far.

Making up his mind he grabbed a pillow and blanket from his bed, and candles from the bedside drawer. Then he returned to her doorway.

"I thought maybe, the light is very bright, you might want something softer." He arranged the candles on her bedside table and lit them without waiting for a response, then turned to her. When she didn't object he returned to the doorway for a moment to click off the light. She looked to the blanket and pillow still under his arm. He walked softly back to her bedside and dropped the bedding to the floor beside her bed, she moved her gaze up to meet his. Her eyes were huge in the candlelight.

"Do you want me to go?"

She shook her head, and her eyes filled with tears.

The Doctor knelt down beside her, his arms moving around her. He held her as she wept into the curve of his shoulder. His own tears fell silently into her hair.


End file.
